Samana, Dominican Republic - NCL Jewel Day 3

Samana was once considered a destitute area of the Dominican Republic. We had lots of children coming up to us begging us to buy this or that. Food wasn't that extraordinary this day. Lunch was a quick buffet at the Garden Cafe.
 Ribs, lamb shank, fish. This was probably one of the better lunches of the cruise. I pigged out on the ribs and lamb.

Tuna Tartare. Raw tuna tastes so much better than cooked tuna. 8.2

Roasted Monkfish Fillet. It was a pretty tasty dish as a recall. 8.2

Salmon Coulibiac, Chicken Tikka, Cottage Pie, and Orange Flan from the Garden Buffet. I was not enamored with any.

 

At Sea - NCL Jewel Day 2

Day 2 was a full day at sea. I woke up early before most of the crowd and ate breakfast at the Garden Cafe, the buffet dining area.

It opens from 6:30 - 10:30 for breakfast, 11:30 - 2:30 for lunch, and 5:00 - 9:30 for dinner. The breakfast offerings were vast but nothing unusual.

We ate lunch and dinner at Tsar's.



Tsar's is the main dining room for sit down breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

 Oyster Fritter. Not much oyster taste. It was more like a hush puppy. Kind of reminds you of turds, doesn't it? Rating: 6.3

Gumbo Shrimp. Nothing extraordinary. 7.2

Sweet and Sour Grouper. The first decent part of lunch. 8.2

Bread Pudding. Average rendition. 7.1

This was the start of dinner. Asparagus and Scallops. With a little sesame oil. 7.8
 Losbster and Grouper Extravaganza. Good but otherwise small portions. 8.2

Honey Creme Brulee. It was decent but a little starchy. The top was left untorched. 7.6

The Jewel's other restaurants include Azura, Tango, Blue Lagoon, Chin Chin, Teppanyaki, Le Bistro, Mama's, plus a few other lesser restaurants.

Miami, FL - Embark Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL) Jewel Day 1

We boarded and the ship took off at 5 PM. The most important thing: Find the FOOD! These were some of the offerings tried on our first night at sea.

Crostata with mushroom. Rating: 6.9

Lamb Provencal. A good offering with a slight gamey taste. A good way to start the cruise. 8.0

Vanilla souffle. Average dessert. 7.0

Creme brulee - starchy texture. No caramelized top. 6.9

Roasted Pig - Tai Hoa BBQ & Bangkok Thai Deli

Tai Hoa BBQ (854 W University Ave, St Paul, MN 55104, 651.298.8480) is a slightly more than a hole in the wall store offering Chinese and Vietnamese foods to go, including the classic roasted duck and roasted pig.

The Scrooges ordered a half pound of decadent roasted pig (heo quay). The pig is roasted until the skin is a crispy crackling shell offering a textural sensation better exceeding any potato chip. Immediately under the skin is a layer of fat which if it is the correct thickness magnifies the decadent experience. Too little fat equals a wretchedly dry equivalent of cardboard and too much fat is an egregious affront. Below the fat is the meat ideally with an attached small rib bone. That describes the perfect piece of roasted pig. Unfortunately this particular batch wasn't perfect. It wasn't cheap at almost $8 per pound but it was still a treat for the taste buds especially dipped in hot chili sauce.

Bangkok Thai Deli (315 University Ave, St Paul, MN, 651.224.4300) is both a sit down restaurant and a deli. Bangkok offers a different slightly different version of roasted pig, which if Scrooge heard correctly they call "Pork Li" ($5).

They take a similar cut of pig minus the rib bones, add some seasonings and deep fry it. It's surprising that despite the fat and the deep frying, it had only a slightly heavy fatty taste, which Scrooge take as a sign of being fried at the proper temperature. It is distinctly different in taste from the Chinese style roast pork and was notably saltier but nevertheless equally decadent. With the amount of fat present, it was incredibly tender and when down the gullet too easy. Scrooge felt his arteries hardening with every swallow.

Roasted pig is one of life's guilty pleasures and one of the world's perfect foods. Both Tai Hoa and Bangkok Thai Deli offer versions worthy of your money. Indulge only every once in a while to keep the cardiologists at bay.

Scorpion on a Stick - Beijing, China

Roasted Scorpion on a Stick. Squid tentacles on a stick. It's unfortunate I didn't photograph other foods on a stick like roasted cicadas, crickets, and lizard. These were not isolated offerings but available in a number of competing stalls in a very well known and packed market square in Beijing.


How about a nice Starfish lollipop?

It was about $2 USD. Now most importantly: Was it good? It was...mmm....I don't know. I chickened out on the scorpion. I had reservations about the poison and passed. I was later told the cooking destroys the poison.

Various Beijing Restaurants - Beijing, China

March 18, 2008

After a few minutes in Beijing, I could only believe money and politics were the reasons the 2008 Olympics would be held here.

Beijing felt like Tim Burton's Gotham City come to life; dark, gray, devoid of joy, populated by people who look through you. Maybe the summer Olympics broadcasters will report on the indomitable spirit and charm of this nation but when you dwell among the people, you are left with a totally different perspective, one that doesn't typify the spirit of an Olympic city.

Now let's turn to the food of Beijing. March 18, 2008 dinner.

We were part of a tour group and meals with the dishes placed on a Lazy Susan. The experience should have been enjoyable and relaxing but we were grouped with gluttons who shoveled the lion's share of food into their bowls and left the crumbs for us dogs. I really don't remember what the food tasted like because our first priority was to grab what we could to fill our stomachs. As such, I took only a few photos of the food and restaurants on this tour.

March 19, 2008 lunch




March 19, 2008 Dinner




At this place pictured above, we ate Peking Duck, the national dish of China (or is it Beijing Duck?).

March 20, 2008 lunch


March 21, 2008 lunch



March 22, 2008 lunch

The guard didn't like me taking pictures.

Narita International Airport NRT- Narita, Japan

Despite the number of people, the environment felt subdued, almost tranquil. The young female Japanese desk attendant that helped check us in was the most polite and courteous attendant I've ever dealt with.  She bowed and handed my passport back with both hands.  If only this courtesy was present stateside...

There are a number of restaurants but we had no yen in our pockets.

Papaya Salad - Double Dragon

I was at Double Dragon Foods grocery store and noticed a line of customers at their "deli" area. There was a lady preparing something for the customers but I didn't pay much heed to it. I became curious as a steady line of customers continued to build. I walked to the counter to see bins of various vegetables. One bin had long stringy stuff which I couldn't quite make out but initially thought was onions or bean sprout minus the bean but turned out to be green papaya. The sign read "Fresh Papaya Salad".

I watched as the lady asked customers what they wanted and then she turned to a large mortar and put in garlic, Thai bird chili peppers, sugar(?), tomatoes, lime, long beans, Thai eggplant, a scoop of thick chunky sauce, fish sauce, peanuts, and shredded papaya. There was a certain order that she tossed ingredients in, pounding with pestle, adding more ingredients, pounding with pestle, continuing this cycle until she felt it was ready and then scooping out a sample for the customers to try.

I decided I had to try some ($3.99 for the size pictured above, $5.99 for the large). I asked the gal in front of me how it tasted, mostly concerned with how much heat it had and the fish sauce which it seemed the preparer added liberally. The gal ordered hers with 5 chili peppers. I ordered mine with only 1 chili pepper and as it turned out, it was at my limit of heat.

What's this stuff taste like? It was salty, tart, "fishy", and mildly sweet. I loved the crunchy and varied texture. Longbeans I've always had cooked and this was the first time I had it raw. Now I prefer raw longbeans over cooked. I've never had raw Thai eggplant before. It added a nice texture but it seemed neutral/bitter in taste. The papaya was the big surprise in that I expected it to be sweet and soft but it was crunchy and didn't really seem to have its own flavor but soaked in the flavor of the sauces.

The minus side of this papaya salad? It was too salty and a bit on the fishy side. For those who haven't had fish sauce before, a little goes a long ways and the smell can be overpowering.

Papaya Salad is good, different, and cheap eating, what this blog is all about. We had enough for 3 meals making this cheap. It definitely is different. The good will be subjective. The long line was testimony of good but I believe the typical Midwest palate will be challenged to get the fork beyond the nose.

Double Dragon Foods
121 Maryland Ave W
St Paul, MN

Skagway, Alaska

Up the mountainside by train.

Junea, Alaska

 



Alaska - Inside Passage

The pictures can't do it justice.